What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Glycerin
Humectant
Water
Skin ConditioningSqualane
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Isodecyl Neopentanoate
EmollientHydrogenated Polydecene
EmollientPentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Rosa Canina Seed Oil
Emollient
Propanediol
Solvent
Sodium Acrylates Copolymer
Borago Officinalis Seed Oil
Emollient
Oenothera Biennis Oil
Emollient
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Bisabolol
Antioxidant
Avena Sativa Bran Extract
Abrasive
Glycyrrhetinic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Centella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Phospholipids
Skin Conditioning
Retinyl Linoleate
Skin Conditioning
Retinol
Skin Conditioning
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Glycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Gluconolactone
Skin Conditioning
Polyglyceryl-10 Stearate
Skin Conditioning
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Lecithin
Emollient
Maltodextrin
Absorbent
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Caprylhydroxamic Acid
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Levulinic Acid
Perfuming
Sodium Levulinate
Skin ConditioningBenzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Glycerin, Water, Squalane, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Isodecyl Neopentanoate, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Pentylene Glycol, Rosa Canina Seed Oil, Propanediol, Sodium Acrylates Copolymer, Borago Officinalis Seed Oil, Oenothera Biennis Oil, Ceramide NP, Bisabolol, Avena Sativa Bran Extract, Glycyrrhetinic Acid, Centella Asiatica Extract, Phospholipids, Retinyl Linoleate, Retinol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Tocopherol, Glycine Soja Oil, Gluconolactone, Polyglyceryl-10 Stearate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Lecithin, Maltodextrin, Potassium Sorbate, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Levulinic Acid, Sodium Levulinate, Benzyl Alcohol, Sodium Benzoate
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Water
Skin ConditioningGlyceryl Behenate
Emollient
Ethyl Arganate
Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil
Emollient
C10-18 Triglycerides
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Propanediol
Solvent
Polyglyceryl-6 Polyhydroxystearate
Emulsifying
Polyglyceryl-6 Polyricinoleate
Emulsifying
Magnesium Sulfate
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Glucoside
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate
Skin Conditioning
Phytosterols
Skin Conditioning
Phospholipids
Skin Conditioning
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Polyglycerin-6
HumectantLinoleic Acid
Cleansing
Citric Acid
Buffering
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Water, Glyceryl Behenate, Ethyl Arganate, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, C10-18 Triglycerides, Glycerin, Propanediol, Polyglyceryl-6 Polyhydroxystearate, Polyglyceryl-6 Polyricinoleate, Magnesium Sulfate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Glyceryl Glucoside, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Phytosterols, Phospholipids, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Polyglycerin-6, Linoleic Acid, Citric Acid, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Hydroxyacetophenone, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
1,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse.
It is a:
- Humectant, drawing moisture into the skin
- Emollient, helping to soften skin
- Solvent, dispersing and stabilizing formulas
- Preservative booster, enhancing the antimicrobial activity of other preservatives
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride (aka MCT Oil) is a lightweight emollient, solvent, and texture enhancer. It is considered a skin-softener by helping to prevent moisture loss.
Though it behaves like an oil, it is not technically one due to its chemical composition. One perk of this ingredient is that it is very stable, resistant to oxidation, and unlikely to go rancid.
In practice, that translates to a long shelf life and a consistently elegant skin feel.
While there is an assumption Caprylic Triglyceride can clog pores due to it being derived from coconut oil, there is no research supporting this. Just patch test if you have concerns.
Fractionated coconut oil and MCT Oil are both listed as Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride according to INCI. This is because INCI names are based on the ingredient’s final chemical composition and not its marketing name or source.
This ingredient is treated as the gold standard fungal acne safe oil. Even though it is coconut derived, the problematic lauric acid is stripped out.
This leaves just caprylic (C8) and capric (C10) acid. These chain lengths actually trend antifungal; a 2020 study found caprylic acid was enough to disrupt Malassezia furfur cell membrane, with a caprylic acid derivative damaging membrane structures at concentrations as low as 0.2%.
Learn more about Caprylic/Capric TriglycerideGlycerin (or glycerol) is a compound naturally found in your skin. It's a powerhouse humectant that pulls water into the stratum corneum.
Topically, glycerin does several things at once:
Your skin makes glycerin on its own (mostly from sebaceous oil breakdown) and shuttles it to your outermost layer of skin, or your epidermis, via aquaporin-3.
Aquaporin-3 is a transporter that is essential for normal skin hydration, elasticity, and repair. Interestingly, mice lacking in AQP3 have dry and less elastic skin that can be fully corrected with glycerin.
This ingredient is non-irritating, plays well with almost every ingredient, and works across all skin types. Typical use is anywhere between 3-10% but can go up to 79% in some leave-on products.
Just know very high concentrations (>40%) can feel tacky in low humidity.
Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.
Learn more about GlycerinPhospholipids are a family of skin-identical lipids that makeup the structural backbone of every cell membrane in your body.
In cosmetics, they function as skin conditioning agents with emulsifier and surfactant properties. They're typically sourced from soybean or sunflower lecithin (or sometimes egg yolk or marine sources).
Because they mirror the lipids naturally found in the deeper layers of your skin, topical phospholipids help reinforce the lipid matrix, reduce transepidermal water loss, and leave skin feeling conditioned.
They're also used to form liposomes, or tiny self-assembling vesible used to stabilize actives like vitamin c or retinol. This helps these ingredients integrate into the upper layers of skin more easily.
Phospholipids are compatible with everything and the CIR Expert Panel has concluded them to be safe at current use levels.
Some types of phospholipids include:
Learn more about PhospholipidsPropanediol is an all-star ingredient. It softens, hydrates, and smooths the skin.
It’s often used to:
Propanediol is not likely to cause sensitivity and considered safe to use. It is derived from corn or petroleum with a clear color and no scent.
Learn more about PropanediolTrisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate is used to help stabilize a product.
It is a chelating agent, meaning it helps prevent metal ions from binding to other ingredients. This prevents unwanted reactions in products. Metal ions can come into a product via the water ingredient. They are found in trace amounts and are not known to be harmful.
Water. It's the most common cosmetic ingredient of all. You'll usually see it at the top of ingredient lists, meaning that it makes up the largest part of the product.
So why is it so popular? Water most often acts as a solvent - this means that it helps dissolve other ingredients into the formulation.
You'll also recognize water as that liquid we all need to stay alive. If you see this, drink a glass of water. Remember to stay hydrated!
Learn more about Water
